prophet

Eugene Nida wrote the following about the translation of the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek terms that are typically translated with “prophet” in English:

“The tendency in many translations is to use ‘to foretell the future’ for ‘prophesy,’ and ‘one who foretells the future’ for ‘prophet.’ This is not always a recommended usage, particularly if such expressions denote certain special native practices of spirit contact and control. It is true, of course, that prophets of the Bible did foretell the future, but this was not always their principal function. One essential significance of the Greek word prophētēs is ‘one who speaks forth,’ principally, of course, as a forth-teller of the Divine will. A translation such as ‘spokesman for God’ may often be employed profitably.” (1947, p. 234f.)

Following is a list of (back-) translations from other languages (click or tap for details):

  • San Blas Kuna: “one who speaks the voice of God”
  • Central Pame and Vai: “interpreter for God”
  • Kaqchikel, Navajo (Dinė), Yaka: “one who speaks for God”
  • Northern Grebo: “God’s town crier” (see more about this below)
  • Sapo: “God’s sent-word person”
  • Shipibo-Conibo, Ngäbere: “one who speaks God’s word”
  • Copainalá Zoque: “one who speaks-opens” (a compound meaning “one who discloses or reveals”)
  • Sierra Totonac: “one who causes them to know” (in the sense of “revealer”)
  • Batak Toba: “foreteller” (this and all the above acc. to Nida 1961, p. 7)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “one who is inspired of God” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Alekano: “the true man who descended from heaven” (source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation June 1986, p. 36ff.)
  • Aguaruna: “teller of God’s word” (source: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125)
  • Ekari: “person who speaks under divine impulse”
  • Mandarin Chinese: 先知 xiānzhī — “one who foreknows” (or the 1946/1970 translation by Lü Zhenzhong: 神言人 shényánrén — “divine-word-man”)
  • Uab Meto: “holy spokesman” (source for this and two above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Kouya: Lagɔɔ gbʋgbanyɔ — “the one who seeks God’s affairs” (source: Saunders, p. 269)
  • Kafa: “decide for God only” (source: Loren Bliese)
  • Martu Wangka: “sit true to God’s talk” (source: Carl Gross)
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “word passer” (source: John Beekman in Notes on Translation November 1964, p. 1-22)
  • Obolo: ebi nriran: “one with power of divine revelation” (source: Enene Enene)
  • Mairasi: nonondoai nyan: “message proclaimer” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Highland Totonac: “speaker on God’s behalf”
  • Central Tarahumara: “God’s preacher” (source for this and above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Coatlán Mixe: “God’s word-thrower”
  • Ayutla Mixtec: “one who talks as God’s representative”
  • Isthmus Mixe: “speaker for God” (source for this and two above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • Mezquital Otomi / Paasaal: “God’s messenger” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff. and Fabian N. Dapila in The Bible Translator 2024, p. 415ff.)
  • Noongar: Warda Marridjiny or “News Traveling” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Kutu: mtula ndagu or “one who gives the prediction of the past and the future” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Ebira: ọnịsẹ, a neologism that combines the prefix ọn for “a person” with ịsẹ for “prediction” (source: Scholz /Scholz 2015, p. 49)
  • French 1985 translation by Chouraqui: inspiré or “inspired one” (“someone in whom God has breathed [Latin: in + spiro]) (source: Watson 2023, p. 45)

In Ixcatlán Mazatec a term is used that specifically includes women. (Source: Robert Bascom)

About the translation into Northern Grebo:

“In some instances these spiritual terms result from adaptations reflecting the native life and culture. Among the Northern Grebo people of Liberia, a missionary wanted some adequate term for ‘prophet,’ and she was fully aware that the native word for ‘soothsayer’ or ‘diviner’ was no equivalent for the Biblical prophet who spoke forth for God. Of course, much of what the prophets said referred to the future, and though this was an essential part of much of their ministry, it was by no means all. The right word for the Gbeapo people would have to include something which would not only mean the foretelling of important events but the proclamation of truth as God’s representative among the people. At last the right word came; it was ‘God’s town-crier.’ Every morning and evening the official representative of the chief goes through the village crying out the news, delivering the orders of the chief, and announcing important coming events. ‘God’s town-crier’ would be the official representative of God, announcing to the people God’s doings, His commands, and His pronouncements for their salvation and well-being. For the Northern Grebo people the prophet is no weird person from forgotten times; he is as real as the human, moving message of the plowman Amos, who became God’s town-crier to a calloused people.” (source: Nida 1952, p. 20)

In American Sign Language it is a person who sees into the future:


“Prophet” in American Sign Language (source )

In British Sign Language it is is translated with a sign that depicts a message coming from God to a person (the upright finger) and then being passed on to others. (Source: Anna Smith)


“Prophet” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)

See also prophesy and prophesy / prophetic frenzy.

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: How to Recognize a Biblical Prophet .

See also seer.

Translation commentary on Mark 8:28

Text:

Instead of eipan autō legontes hoti ‘they told him (that)’ of all modern editions of the Greek text, Textus Receptus has apekrithēsan ‘they answered.’

Exegesis:

hoti (the first one) is recitative, introducing direct speech, and thus not translated.

Iōannēn ton baptistēn, kai alloi lian, alloi de hoti heis tōn prophetōn ‘John the Baptist, and others, Elijah, and others, One of the prophets.’ Cf. 6.14-16 for these three estimates of Jesus.

By the use of quotation marks a translation can make clear the nature of the answer given by the disciples: their own words include the whole phrase beginning with ‘John the Baptist’ and ending with ‘prophets.’ In their answer they quote three opinions about Jesus held by different people, and these three are separately included in quotation marks as quotations also.

Iōannēn … Ēlian ‘John … Elijah’: in the accusative case, presupposing the same grammatical construction as of the previous verse, i.e. hoi legousin se einai Iōannēn ‘some say you are John’ kai alloi legousin se einai Ēlian ‘and others say you are Elijah.’

alloi de hoti heis tōn prophētōn ‘but others, One of the prophets’: here the direct form is used, and heis ‘one’ is in the nominative case (Textus Receptus, wrongly, has the accusative case), presupposing alloi de legousin hoti su ei heis tōn prophētōn ‘but others say you are one of the prophets.’

hoti is recitative, introducing direct speech (‘One of the prophets’), and thus not translated.

Translation:

Told may be ‘answered.’

John the Baptist must in some languages be introduced in such a way that it will not appear that this was the conclusion of the disciples, e.g. ‘some men say John the Baptist….’

Baptist, since it is often translated by a verb form, must be carefully treated. In one language, for example, the wrong aspect of the verb was used and the resultant meaning was that John was still baptizing at the time of this conversation – something that was entirely contradictory to the events narrated in Mark 6. In Southern Subanen, for example, this phrase must be ‘John who was baptizing.’

Others say Elijah may require expansion, e.g. ‘others say, Jesus is Elijah’ or ‘others say that you are Elijah,’ depending upon the use of direct or indirect discourse.

Others one of the prophets may likewise need some filling in of elliptical elements, e.g. ‘still others say, He is one of the prophets’ or ‘still others say that you are one of the prophets.’

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of Mark. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1961. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator's Notes on Mark 8:28

8:28

In this verse the disciples indicated that the people thought that Jesus was a prophet. All of the people whom they mentioned were prophets who had already died.

8:28a

Some say John the Baptist: In this part of the verse the disciples answered Jesus’ question in a natural way. They left some information implied because the meaning was clear from his question. In some languages it may be natural to make some or all of the information explicit. For example:

Some of the people say that you are John the Baptist

John the Baptist: This man, John, was called the Baptist because he baptized people. See how you translated John the Baptist in 6:14d and 6:25b.

8:28b

others say Elijah: In this part of the verse the disciples again left some information in their answer implied. In some languages it may be natural to make this information explicit. For example:

Other people say that you are Elijah

Elijah: Elijah was a prophet who lived more than five hundred years before Jesus. If people in your area do not know about Elijah, you may want to:

• Include some implied information in the text. For example:

Elijah the prophet

• Include a footnote to give information about him. Here is an example of a footnote:

Elijah was a prophet who lived more than five hundred years before Jesus. Jews thought that Elijah would return before the Messiah. They based this belief on Malachi 4:5–6.

8:28c

and still others, one of the prophets: The word still here indicates that the disciples were mentioning a third group of people who had another opinion. In this part of the verse the disciples again left some of the information in their reply implied. In some languages it may be necessary to make this information explicit, as in the previous two verse parts. For example:

and some other people say that you are one of the prophets

one of the prophets: In this context the prophets refers to men whom God sent in Old Testament times to speak his messages to people. Many of them did miracles that showed that God was with them. The Jews knew many stories of these men and what they had done by God’s power. Some of the Jews thought that Jesus was one of these prophets. Since Elijah was also a prophet, it may be natural to translate this as:

one of the other prophets

prophets: The word prophets refers to men who speak on behalf of God. A prophet tells people what God has revealed to him, and he also gives them messages from God.

Here are some other ways to translate prophets:

spokesmen for God
-or-
men who speak God’s words
-or-
God’s message-speakers

When choosing a term for prophets, consider how you will translate other words which are similar in meaning such as “angel,” “apostle,” and “preacher.”

While prophets did foretell the future, this was not their only function. Avoid using a word that focuses on telling the future.

See how you translated this word in 1:2a and 6:4. See also prophet in the Glossary for more information.

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